


Drop a Pin

by Dunebugger



Series: Jeremy and Michael's Lovey-Dovey Antics [3]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Driving, Fluff, Food mention, Forests, Hiking, M/M, THIS IS A HAPPY FIC, They are both happy, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Trails, but go off, questionable compartmentalization of backpacks, the boys go hiking!, waterfalls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 07:34:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26349415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dunebugger/pseuds/Dunebugger
Summary: Jeremy and Michael go hiking - and find a secret place!
Relationships: Jeremy Heere/Michael Mell
Series: Jeremy and Michael's Lovey-Dovey Antics [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1794802
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Drop a Pin

**Author's Note:**

> Hullo! Pardon my absence, school just started for me! This fic was inspired by a recent hike! If you wanna cool down or snuggle in, keep on reading! And, I'll see y'all at the end!

“Could you turn the music down a bit?”

“Oh, whoops, yeah sure.” Michael apologised, turning the dial. The techno music quieted to a suitable clashing of noises, replaced by the sound of small pebbles and bits of sediment hitting the windshield. The potholes in the road didn’t serve them  _ or _ the car any better, their bodies going up and down like a slow albeit rocky roller-coaster. Jeremy took his water bottle out of its holder, arm and hand shaking as he attempted to unscrew the cap. His carefulness proved futile when the car went over two giant potholes just as Jeremy started to slurp, water splashing all over his old camp shirt. 

“Shit.” 

“Sorry about that.”

“You’re good.” he wiped off the dribble on his chin, struggled to cap it on correctly, and slotted it back to the car door’s holder. 

The gusty winds had small pebbles  _ clink _ the frame of the car. The crack on the right side of the windshield worried Jeremy slightly, but Michael moved the vehicle forth, making sure not to turn too tight around the bends of the dirt road. Several cedar trees eclipsed the morning light, cool breezes flowing between the branches. Leaves fluttered to the ground with each sway of the branches. A pigeon dived close to the van, Michael hitting a sharp turn so as to not hit the poor thing. Jeremy’s hands turned white gripping the seat belt.

It’s been about an hour since they left Jeremy’s place, the sprawling fields of wheat and electric towers blurred into a beige mess. It took a turn for the better when they entered a mostly rural town. The forest scenery began to slowly creep in: first there was a big oak on the side of the road, turning into three, nine, until they were surrounded by the dense trees on all sides. Even more, the road slowly started its ascent, van tipping backwards slightly as they drove. Several more cozy shops and ashen rest areas were sprinkled as the van trekked. Jeremy struggled to fall asleep with the rigorous driving. Michael’s driving skills were… _ questionable _ , to say the least. He drummed on the driving wheel, lip-syncing, “ _ Don’t stop, believin’! Hold on to that feelin’, yeah!” _ If it weren’t for Jeremy, he would’ve been belting the words off at max volume.

“Are we close to the place?” Jeremy whimpered, already exhausted from being in the passenger seat.

“Yep. Take a look.” Michael pointed a finger to a grove that fell slightly on Jeremy’s right, an unpaved parking lot that held some jeeps with kayaks tied onto the roof. “Beyond there, the waterfalls should be a mile-walk away.” he chirped.

The car took a final stroll down a cascade of trees, a single, straight drive down a smoother dirt road. Following the arrow sign, the van eased into the parking lot. Not many visitors were there, considering it was a weekday, although Jeremy could spot a couple of backpackers coming back from the trail. “We have arrived!” Michael exclaimed, already unbuckling his seatbelt. The two jumped out of the front seats, opening the middle row’s doors to grab their belongings. Michael grabbed his orange duffel, inserting his two arms into the slots, and with a  _ hup _ , carried the bag horizontally on his back. Jeremy remembered their situation earlier in the day:

“Michael, you do  _ not _ need this big of a bag.” he stated, attempting to pick it up to no avail. 

“Oh Jeremy, you never know when you  _ do _ .” He lifted the lip of the bag with ease, digging inside the bag with his other hand.

“It’s not that much, I swear — here.” he went on to show him a myriad of items: bug spray, aerosol sunscreen, packs of beef jerky, a change of clothes, two hiking sticks…the list went on until his entire bag was emptied. He turned the bag upside-down, little crumbs and scraps falling to the floor. “See? Not bad at all, compared to yours.” he lightly punched Jeremy’s dark-blue drawstring bag that was on his back.

“Michael, this is a portable heater.” Jeremy pointed out, removing a large metallic canister from the pool of items. “It’s going to be 90 degrees later.”

“Yeah,  _ Later _ . What about  _ now _ ?”

“Do you  _ feel _ cold right now?”

“A little chilly.” Michael muttered. Jeremy gave him a playful punch.

“Okay, and what about this?” Jeremy drew out a large set of poles, fabric bunched up and zip tied together. “Explain yourself.” 

“ _ That’s—” _ he grabbed the set of equipment from his boyfriend’s hands. “My  _ emergency  _ tent.” 

_ “Emergency? _ What kind of emergency would require that? We’re just hiking for a couple hours, not sleeping there.” 

_ “ _ I’m bringing it just in case we are! Imagine if we were out in the wilderness without a shelter. I don’t want you to be crying to me when it starts raining and there’s no cover!”

“Michael. It’s gonna be  _ 90 degrees  _ later.”

Michael sighed and put it back down gently. “Listen here Jere, if you don’t like the way I organize things, tell it straight to my—”

“Your way sucks, Mikey.” he pat the other’s head, ruffling the soft curls. “You  _ definitely _ do not need most of this stuff. Just bring the essentials, yeah?”

“When did you get so rational, I thought that you’d be the one to bring the whole house with you.”

“I just have realistic expectations.”

“What do you expect?”

“A nice date with my boyfriend. And also, a couple trees.” Jeremy smiled, glad he didn’t stammer for the first time in his life. “I haven’t been to the forest in a while, I wish that I could live in it!”

“There’s no Gamestops though.”

“Is that really a loss?”

“Uh, yeah?!”

“I’ll just download games.”

“Bro, there’s nothing better than buying it in person!”

“And risk talking to the employees that keep asking if I want to be a ‘PowerUp Rewards Member’? I’ll pass on that, thanks.”

Michael huffed, and agreed. “Fine. I guess you’re right. Living in the forest doesn’t sound too bad, actually. I’d be like Bear Grylls!”

“I can totally see you being a wilderness-man. Like Tarzan.”

“I mean, I’d like to live in a  _ cool _ forest, yanno? One with clean water and some edible berries?”

“Michael, that type of forest sounds like a pipedream. The clean water part is probably the most fathomable of those statements.”

“And edible berries are something out of this world?!”

“I mean, there  _ are _ berries, but most of ‘em are either poisonous or icky tasting.”

“Dude, I’ve had that coconut shrimp from that Chinese place that shut down a month after opening. I think I can handle a few berries.”

“Make that  _ one _ berry. The ones in the forest we’re going to is deadly poisonous, apparently.”

“If they’re very deadly poisonous, why would you say that I’m able to eat  _ one _ berry?”

“You  _ can _ eat it. But only once.” 

“Well, that goes with any type of deadly poisonous food! Where’d you get this info anyways, Heere?”

“The website, duh. Didn’t you read it — you’re the one who suggested the place!”

“Well,  _ no _ , but now you’ve spoiled the mystery, great job!”

“At least I told you they were poisonous before you picked some off a bush. It wouldn’t be a mystery anymore when your face puffs up.”

“Pff, whatever. Just — help me pack my bag up again, please?”

“Only if you don’t eat any of the wildberries when we get there.”

“Deal.”

“Great. Now hand me my emergency tent back.”

Snapping out of the memory, Jeremy made sure to stuff his water bottle into his drawstring, and check for all of the necessary stuff. 

“You ready?”

“Yep. Let’s go.” Jeremy replied, feeling slightly anxious about the journey ahead. A long time in the past, he came here as a child with his dad, but that was while he was still in diapers — this forest seemed foreign, although recognizable somewhat. Something about the glimpses of the directory sign, the interlocking pathways indicated by differently colored lines, the map that surveyed the entire area: it all seemed familiar. 

Jeremy saw on the website that the park is undergoing renovations, but he’d be holding out hope that most of it had been finished. In actuality, upon looking at the directory, the trail that was currently open to the public was one of the more rigorous ones, a 3 mile hike upwards to the mountains.

“Ah shit.” Michael cursed. “Aren’t there other trails?”

“No, the website says that they’re under construction. Boulders and big rocks fell onto the road, so they’re moving ‘em right now.”

“Well, are we going to do the, uh, hardest one?”

This one took a sec, but Jeremy was eager to get back into the thicket of the forest. Screw the possibility of getting absolutley sweaty. “Yep! Yes, we are. Well, uh, if you’re up for it?”

Michael chuckled at this newfound enthusiasm. “Sure, Jere. Let’s go.” Jeremy stiffened slightly, palms gathering up sweat. Michael put a hand on his shoulder. “You okay there, Jeremy? You look tense.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah! Yes. No well, I’m  _ not _ tense, I said ‘yeah’ in relation to your first question, and ‘no’, I am not tense. I am perfectly good.” Jeremy stammered, Michael smiling at his boyfriend’s awkwardness. 

The two followed the track that led from the parking lot into a forest of trees.

The clearing, albeit filled with rocks, slowly transitioned into a dirt path that resembled the road they travelled on in their van. The dense flora and horticulture followed them, branches reaching out for a high-five. The tunnel of tree branches came to a close once the road started to steepen, the underbrush sprinkled with specks of light that slipped through the cracks of leaves. The moody-green weeds and shrubbery bordered their dirt trail. Michael slapped a mosquito on his arm. 

Jeremy scratched his nose.  _ Ugh, allergies. _ He looked downwards while he walked, his old gym shoes already powdered with brown dust. He found an ant or two traveling up his shin, and he swatted them away. Before he could regret not packing lotion, Michael tapped his shoulder, easing his worries with his smile. “Hey there, doin’ okay?”

“Yep. It’s just—I didn’t expect so many insects!”

“I mean, a forest is bound to have insects, Jere. Do you want some more of my insect spray?”

“Nah, I already spread on two coats.”

“Okie.” Michael confirmed. He reached back to his pack, snatching a heavy hydroflask decorated with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stickers, and popping open the lip of the container. He drank a few short gulps, and handed it to Jeremy promptly. While he drank, he nearly tripped on a tree branch. 

Unlike the van, the duo’s ascent of the mountain was met with a slow pace, inching closer and closer to the top amid struggle. The rising sun blanketed the two with a heavenly glow, warmth enveloping Jeremy;s whole body, giving him small tingles. He wiped sweat from his drenched forehead.

They reached a shaded area, providing a quick rest stop.

Michael and Jeremy huffed, throats constricted. Perpendicular to one of the largest tree trunks in the forest laid a moss-encased fallen log, hollow holes filled with small insects — Jeremy plopped his butt down on the side closest to the mother tree, making sure not to smush a ladybug innocently crawling out of the peephole in the log. Michael followed suit, nearly falling over the other side of the broken down tree. He once again took out his hydroflask and chugged down most of it. Jeremy’s hand fished out a snack from the bottom of his bag, and quickly gobbled down the two belveeta cookies, handing over the other two to Michael. He washed it down with some more water shortly after. 

“You got any more snacks?” Michael asked, being able to talk coherently again. Jeremy plopped a small blue bag in his lap, and Michael immediately ripped it open and shoved a couple of gummy fruit snacks into his mouth. “Thm-thamk you.” he said with a full mouth. Jeremy laughed at the sight, taking a mental picture of it for later. Jeremy looked at the log they both sat on — had moss creeping on the underside, small fungi growning in the holes created in the fallen wood. He felt the creases and cracks of the wood, the coarse and rough texture sending chills in his body. Jeremy put one leg on either side of the log, and looked upwards. 

Deep inside the underbrush, it was no surprise that the leafy coverings above him had blocked out most of the now-blistering sunlight. His eyes adjusted carefully, still getting accustomed to the new lighting. 

Feelings like these could only be equated to when it was late at night, pushing forth in his save file for Breath of the Wild. Michael sat beside him, curled up and sleeping in his beanbag chair, inevitably prepping himself for a body ache from such an uncomfortable position. But, eyes glazing over the static and animations, his old CRT TV illuminating his face with a square spotlight — somehow, the strange feeling he got at night could be compared to whatever he was feeling now. Both instances where he was truly relaxed and calm, away from the struggle and stress of school life or, actually, life in general. Jeremy took a gander at the low-lying shrubbery, spotting the berry bush he saw on the website.  _ Not today, Satan. _

From seemingly far away, Jeremy could hear a rushing of water. 

“Lemme check the map real quick.” Michael said, sliding out his phone from his cargo shorts. Jeremy only nodded, returning his head to lean against the trunk behind him. He stared at Michael’s intensity, looking at his eyebrows furrow as he tapped rapidly on his phone. “Damnit. No signal.” 

“It’s cool. I’m sure we can just follow the trail.”

“I know. But I wanted to drop a pin and make sure we come back to this spot later.”

Jeremy pointed to his noggin. “Memory, dude. I’ve got it on lock.”

Michael shrugged. “You sure?”

“Yep. I’ll remember that you said that later.”

Michael playfully punched the other’s shoulder. “Alrighty, Heere. Since your photographic memory has logged in our locale — let’s bounce.”

“You got it.”

The two continued on their way around the trail, their bodies becoming overexerted nearly as soon as they exited the comfy shade. It was an uphill climb from this point on, and although the slope was not as steep as the past, the elevation was rising, breathing becoming harder to do. It didn’t stop them: they kept at a steady pace, fast enough to reach the waterfalls up above, but slow enough to smell the flowers — er — weeds. 

The trail started to thin out, grass and marshy-moss sprinkled between small twigs and broken off sediment. The man-made trail was still evident, nevertheless, Michael pointing out a few arrowed signs that lead them to a cascade of rocks. Luckily, not too much of the trail was obstructed, so they simply navigated around the rocks that reached up to hip-level, and were on their way again. 

The trickling of water from earlier increased in volume, a loud pattering of rocks could be heard as they moved in. It wasn’t until a sharp turn in a clearing that they saw the waterfall.

The trees surrounding the flowing basin of water were healthier and taller than the previous ones, and the moss carpeted the entire landscape. Jeremy’s skin pricked at the small droplets of water that strayed away from the small pool. 

A thought popped up in Michael’s head. “You wanna go in?” he looked toward the other boy, who was still astonished at the sight. “I didn’t bring swimming trunks, but we can just dip our feet in the water.”

“Hell yeah, okay!” Jeremy said excitedly, like a kid on Christmas. 

Michael started to shed his star wars socks, tucking them away in his shoes, and padded over towards the basin of water. Jeremy followed suit, slipping off his too. The two stood at the edge of the pool, toes hanging off. Holding onto Jeremy by his shoulder, Michael dipped his left toes in, shivering at its cold intensity. He took his hand off Jeremy, easing his way down. Slowly, his left leg was encased in the basin.

“You okay?” Jeremy checked, sitting next to Michael. 

“Yep. It’s sorta cold.” Michael breathed out, until the frozen spikes dug deeper into his leg and he flopped it out of the water like a fish. “ _ Actually _ , it’s  _ really _ cold. Not sure if it’s swimmable. Thank goodness you told me to leave the swim trunks.”

“Is it okay to dip our legs in?”

“I…think? Well, no, no it isn’t.”

“Here, lemme try.” 

Jeremy submerged both of his legs underneath the icy lagoon, letting the current sway them. The icy chill traveled up his veins almost immediately, the same icy spikes clamping onto and gnawing on his legs before he, too, hurried to take his legs out. 

“Fuck!” Jeremy exasperated. “It’s cold!”

“Told ya.” Michael retorted, giving the other a small peck on the cheek. “Let’s just sit and adjust for a while.”

“Sounds good.” he conceded, rubbing at his wet calves.

The two boys sat there, the waterfall never ceasing to splash small drops that hit their faces like raindrops from the sky. The oasis’ cold water was seemingly impossible, what with the harsh weather; but every time Jeremy stuck a finger in the water, the icy shock was definitely not a hallucination. The wild life rustled the bushes every so often, squirrels interfering with a couple of the native birds in competition for some wild berries. In one instance, the squirrel was able to swiftly flee as the bird dived down for the same game. The sun’s shine creeped up slowly behind them until the same shine turned into a warmth. Eventually, they were able to wade and swish their legs in the water, albeit exercising caution. Jeremy tapped Michael’s toes with his own, and they both laughed. 

Michael was the first one to lean back, leaving his legs submerged but easing his back into the marshy grotto’s ground, no doubt getting dirt on his tee. He tapped his hand against Jeremy’s, and taking the signal, Jeremy laid right next to him. Side by side, they closed their eyes. He felt a hand touching his, until he took it into his own and squeezed lightly. Michael squeezed back. 

“I think this is where I’d like to live.” Jeremy spoke. “It’s much less stressful here, I think.”

“Yeah, this is pretty nice, actually. I would like to bring some stuff from home though.” Michael agreed. “Maybe a TV, a console, and my headphones. I guess I’d like to uproot my whole room here.”

“It’d be sick to live here and go star-gazing at night.”

“Man, you’re living for this, huh?”

“Hell yeah.”

* * *

The trek back went smoother than expected. After less than an hour spent playing footsie in the secluded pool, they dried off their feet with some spare clothes. Before leaving, they took a photo that Jeremy would eventually set as his phone background. 

Michael didn’t have to drop a pin after all: Jeremy led the way easily. From the mossy dirt to the set aside trail, down the steep hill, the rushing sound of water faded as they got further and further. They reached the half-way point sooner than expected.

“Yanno, you’re kinda like a park ranger.” Michael raspily pointed out, downing some water while he straddled the same log from earlier. “Your memory is no joke.”

“I didn’t actually think that I would remember! Also — a park ranger?” 

“Yeah, yanno? Those people who took the class around the hiking trail in fifth grade.”

“ _ Ohhh _ , right I remember. Now that you say it, I think I’d be a great park ranger. I’ve got a knack for, uh, nature-y stuff.” 

“Your cactus died when you over watered it.”

“Don’t plants need water? I just thought that it’d be happy with its gift.” Jeremy joked. He leaned against the same trunk from what seemed like hours ago. “Well, if it isn’t for my green thumb, then why  _ do  _ you think I should be a park ranger?” 

Michael looked down, rubbing his chin. “Hm, come to think of it, I think it’s just your face.”

“Huh?”

“You look really happy here, Jere.” Michael smiled. “Park rangers, I mean, I figure, like nature and forests and all that. You look like you’re in yer element.”, looking straight into the other’s eyes. “Even if you can’t properly water a cactus, you were thoughtful and cared for its needs, even if it wasn’t exactly right.” he chuckled at the end.

“O-oh! Thank you, Michael.”

“No problem, Jere.” he pressed a kiss to the other cheek. “Plus, I think one of those park ranger beards would look good on you.”

“Like a hipster beard? I can barely grow facial hair, Mikey.”

“You can just wear a Party City beard if you ever decide to take up nature conservation.”

Jeremy punched Michael lightly on the shoulder, and gave him a tight-gripped hug. Just as the mountains eclipsed the sun, they approached the parking lot. The hazy blue hue was a nice change of pace compared to the searing sun from earlier. They were one of the only cars left in the lot. Throwing their backpacks to the back, it was time to drive back home. Although, this time, they  _ both _ approached the driver’s side.

“ _ I’m  _ driving this time.” Jeremy declared. “I don’t wanna feel nauseous on the way back.” He pushed Michael away and hopped into the seat.

“My driving isn’t that bad!”

“I’m not saying it’s  _ bad _ , I’m just saying that it’s a bit, uh, rowdy.”

“Whatever you say, Heere.” he walked around to the other side. “I’m gonna take a nap. Don’t sing too loud.”

“I promise.” Jeremy smiled, and buckled in his seatbelt.

The engine purred to life, and slowly, Jeremy eased the car backwards, and stopping for a moment, he looked at the visitor’s sign that still had the colorful, braided lines of the trail paths.  _ Til’ next time. _

He slowly pushed on the gas and exited the lot. Michael was tucked away in his seat, legs pulled up, and Jeremy tapped his wrist against the steering wheel to the beat of the music. A few stray leaves flew up in a flurry as the car drove past the acre of oaks. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hullo again! Thanks for readin'! I hope that the rest of your morning/evening goes well - and hey, if you are starting school just like me, I wish you lots of luck, okay? Don't be so hard on yourself, it's okay to not feel okay during this time. Drink water, take a nap or five, and just know that self-preservation and self-care is fine and a-ok!
> 
> Until next time! 
> 
> Man, hiking's got me hungry for some food. I'm craving...Panda Express? *wink wonk*


End file.
